MLB Player News

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was back on the field Tuesday against the Cubs, after missing the team's previous game with a right knee injury.

McCutchen went 0 for 4 in the game, snapping a streak of three multi-hit games. He accrued no other stats in a 5-4 win. He is batting .274 with a .798 on-base plus slugging percentage in 164 at-bats. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes homered in the third inning Tuesday night against Yu Darvish in Texas. It was the only run scored by either team in the 1-0 Oakland win. 

Cespedes homered for the ninth time this season with two outs against Darvish to win it for the A's. He went 1 for 5 in the game with two strikeouts and is batting .211. 

Despite his low batting average, Cespedes has hit in seven of his last 10 games with three homers and four RBI over that span. He has 22 RBI on the year with 22 runs scored. 

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has continued to sit against occasional lefties, holding back his point total in Head-to-Head leagues, but if he keeps hitting like he has over his last 26 games, producing a .321 (25 for 78) batting average, six home runs, 10 walks and a 1.020 OPS, he'll entrench himself as an everyday player once and for all.

And Fantasy stardom may follow.

Is it really so far-fetched? We've been waiting for this guy to step up his power production for a couple of years now. In that 26-game stretch, he has nearly as many home runs as he hit in 145 games last year. And that's after ranking among the league leaders in home runs this spring. If that's not stepping it up, I don't know what is.

Not that I think Belt is going to hit 30 home runs or compete for NL MVP. But if you're still messing around with Todd Frazier or Paul Konerko at DH, it's time to upgrade.

The Phillies' struggles offensively have been well-documented and Ruben Amaro Jr. told The Philadelphia Inquirer Tuesday he's looked into ways to improve the lineup. However, he said he doesn't feel Darin Ruf, who was competing for a starting job in the outfield, is the solution to bolster a struggling lineup.

"(Darin) Ruf has done well, although he’s coming off a little bit of a slump lately," Amaro said. "Ruf has done OK, but he still needs work in the outfield. While he’s done OK offensively, I’m not sure he’s better than the options we have."

Although, Amaro said Ruf is probably the top option at first base in case something long-term happens to Ryan Howard, who is battling a knee injury.

"I would think so. He’s played first base about twice a week, so we know he can do that," Amaro said.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen made it back into the starting lineup Tuesday against the Cubs after sitting out one game with a knee injury. McCutchen is batting .368 (25 for 68) with a .603 slugging percentage in his last 17 games.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt matched a career high with four hits Monday during an 8-0 win over the Nationals. Belt also hit his sixth home run of the season.

He went 4 for 5 with four runs scored. Belt singled three times and added a solo blast in the fifth off Craig Stammen. The four-hit game gives Belt a .261 average. He had four hits total in his previous five games combined.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was back in action after missing two games due to a bruised left knee. Harper went hitless in the loss to the Giants. 

The 20-year-old went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his first game since May 17. He's batting .288 on the year with 11 homers and 22 RBI. He's also struck out 26 times. 

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper returned to action after a two-game absence on Monday in San Francisco. The Nationals have Harper batting third and starting in right field. 

Harper was dealing with a bruised left knee. He enters the game Monday batting .171 (6 for 35) with two home runs and four RBI in 12 May contests.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes homered for the eighth time this season and second time in six games Sunday against the Royals. He also had his first multi-hit game in 14 starts.

Cespedes entered Sunday in a 7-for-49 slump in his last 13 games. He did have three home runs and five RBI in that span.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera had his second career three-home run game Sunday night against the Rangers.

Cabrera had a three-run home run in the third, and solo shots in the fifth and eighth innings. He became the 23rd player in major-league history to finish 4 for 4 with three home runs, five RBI and four runs scored. But he became the first player to do it in a loss as the Tigers fell to the Rangers 11-8.

Cabrera hit .304 with eight homers and 34 RBI through 42 games during his triple crown season in 2012. He is hitting .387 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI through 42 games this season.